NASHVILLE – Jonathan Cheechoo might have gotten an extra slice of satisfaction when he saw Patrick Marleau score the winning goal Friday in the Sharks’ 3-2 elimination victory over Nashville.

Cheechoo created the situation with a smart play on his previous shift, which helped to atone for a costly second-period boo-boo specifically and a subpar game in general.

With the score 2-2, Cheechoo and Joe Pavelski were nearly at the end of their shift. Rather than just chipping the puck deep and changing, they forged a two-on-two attack. Cheechoo didn’t see a passing lane, so he uncorked a shot.

Goalie Tomas Vokoun stopped it but couldn’t prevent a whistle.

“Any shot is a good shot at that time,” Cheechoo said. “I put it on. Pav did a great job of getting in there and forcing him to freeze it.”

After the stoppage and line change, Joe Thornton won the offensive-zone faceoff. The Sharks kept the puck in the zone for nearly a minute before Thornton located Marleau for what proved to be the series-clincher.

“The big guys did a great job moving the puck and getting cycles,” Cheechoo said. “They kept it in, tired them out and Patty was able to put it in.”

That allowed Cheechoo to ease himself off the hook. In the second period, he exited the defensive zone prematurely in hopes that Thornton could hit him with a headman pass.

But Thornton’s attempt was blocked, and the Predators capitalized with Vern Fiddler’s goal to push Nashville ahead 2-1.

“I screwed up earlier on their second goal,” Cheechoo said. “I thought Joe had it and took off out of the zone, but you can’t do that in the playoffs. I didn’t get back fast enough to get under the stick of the guy who scored. That’s two misplays. That’s something I’ve got to get better. Right now.”

An ill-advised spearing penalty by Predators forward Scott Nichol created the power play that led to Marleau’s tying goal late in the second.

Christian Ehrhoff had knocked Nichol down in the Sharks’ zone. Referee Rob Shick was already raising his arm to call an interference penalty on Ehrhoff when Nichol got back on his skates and uppercut the Sharks defenseman between the legs.

The clubs played four-on-four until Ehrhoff’s minor expired. Then the Sharks began a major power play.

“He just turned around and speared me in the private parts,” Ehrhoff said.

A few seconds earlier on the shift, they were fighting for position behind the net, but it was nothing unusual.

“It was a normal battle going on,” Ehrhoff said. “I don’t see why he could’ve been that upset.”

Nichol disagreed with the call, which included a game misconduct.

“I got up and I put my stick between his legs and he fell down,” Nichol said. “I hardly even touched him. … I think he was out there playing the next shift.”

The result of this series was the same as last year: Sharks in five. But Predators Coach Barry Trotz saw improvement.

“I think San Jose will probably admit we were a lot tougher kill than we were last year,” Trotz said. “We made some strides, but they got it done. We don’t have any excuses.”

Nashville right wing Jordin Tootoo missed Game 5 because of a leg injury. He sustained the injury Wednesday in the third period of Game 4 when Milan Michalek dropped him with a check along the boards in front of the Predators’ bench.

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